Standards for Surveys at Statistics Canada

Résumé du livre

In a statistical agency that carries out a wide variety of surveys on a broad range of social, economic and environmental topics, standards serve two primary purposes. Standards can define levels of practice considered appropriate for the various activities that make up the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of a survey. Such standards serve to ensure that all survey activity sponsored by the Agency meets or exceeds at least a minimum professional standard. Secondly, standards may identify particular content definitions or methods that must be used in a survey in the interests of ensuring coherence among the outputs of different survey programs across the Agency. Though distinct, these two purposes are complementary, and some standards serve both purposes. This paper outlines the approach that Statistics Canada takes to the definition and application of survey standards, and describes the main elements of the standards it has adopted.